Ideology: Blog Tasks :)

BBC Question Time analysis

1) What examples of binary opposition can you suggest from watching this clip?

• Russel Brand vs Nigel Farage
• Immigrants vs Natives
• Formal vs Informal
• Working Class vs Upper/Middle Class
• Left Wing vs Right Wing
• Rich vs Poor
• British vs Foreign
• Working Class vs Financial Elite

2) What ideologies are on display in this clip?

The ideologies displayed in this clip are that immigrants are negative influences on British society because they are seen as people who "take things" from the British people. Other ideologies include: the unfair distribution of income in Britain, the problems in Britain that are caused by immigration, the problems in Britain caused by the elite which don't pay taxes

Media Magazine reading

Media Magazine 52

Page 34: The World Of Mockingjay: Ideology, Dystopia And Propaganda

1) Read the article and summarise it in one sentence.

The Hunger Games is a film in which there is dystopian representation of capitalist society- Marxist theory suggests that we can see the ruling class keep the poor under control through civic means ('peacekeepers' are sent to control each district and punish anyone who tries to defy authority) and dictation by President Snow

2) What view of capitalist ideology is presented in the Hunger Games films?

Those in power control ideas and resources- in this film, the world is under dictatorship by President Snow where the citizens' only purpose is to serve the country due to orders by the president 

3) What do the Hunger Games films suggest about the power of the media to shape and influence ideological beliefs?

The films suggest that the power of the media to shape and influence ideological beliefs is extremely powerful because the people who are in power keep the poor under control (as Marxists suggest). The Hunger Games films have inflicted enough fear on people for them to align with the ideological beliefs that those in power stay in power and the poor stay under control 

Page 48: They Live - Understanding Ideology

1) What are the four accepted ideological beliefs in western societies highlighted by the article?

• People should put their families first
• People should work hard for their money
• Women should behave in feminine ways and look after their appearance
• Good acts should give people fulfilment

2) What does Gramsci's theory of hegemony suggest about power and ideology in society?

Gramsci's theory of hegemony suggests that hegemony is defined as an important way for those in power to maintain their control through consent instead of using force. He argued that the power of ideology derives primarily from ideas and structures which support and serve the purpose of an elite social group that dominates through ideas rather than fear. The acceptance of being obedient, consuming, marrying and reproducing, and not questioning authority has become part of the natural order of life 

3) What does French theorist Louis Althusser suggest about ideology and consumerism?

1) Repressive State Control (also known as 'Repressive State Apparatuses'): The Government, Army, Police, Courts, etc. which are dominated by the ruling elite. These state agencies regulate social behaviour and repress majorities through violence, punitive law and fear 

2) 'Ideological State Apparatuses': The Church, the media, educational institutions, the family unit, etc.- these looser institutions control and dominate implicitly through 'common sense' and social norms rather than through fear

4) Do YOU agree with the idea behind They Live - that we are unthinkingly controlled by the media which is run in the interests of the economic elite? 

I agree with the idea behind They Live because in society, it is obvious that the ones in power tend to have the highest influence within the media so the economic elite are undeniably going to place people with less power in positions that benefit them purely because of the level of power they have. The less powerful in society tend to seek the validation of the economic elite which emphasises the importance of the economic elite's influence on the media 

Collective Identity and Representing Ourselves: Blog Tasks :)

Media Magazine article

Read the Media Magazine article on collective identity: Self-image and the Media (MM41 - page 6): Media Magazine 

1) Read the article and summarise each section in one sentence, starting with the section 'Who are you?'

• Who are you?: we all construct an image of ourselves to communicate our identity and our self-image can be easily influenced by the context of the culture that surrounds us 
• I think, therefore I am: identity used to be fixed and predetermined based on social constructs (class, religion, gender and the predetermined roles that are part of our families) where people were just part of a number of collectives in which self-image was based on the success of meeting the expectations that coincided with the predefined role 
• From citizen to consumer: the post-industrial consumer boom presented the idea that identity that identity could be constructed in terms of an externalised image- customers were encouraged to buy what they wanted instead of what they needed to satisfy their desires 
• The rise of the individual: individualism began to take hold in the 1960s and 1970s when people started moving away from conformist values and uniqueness was empowering so people started buying products that were advertised as helping to define an identity 
• Branding and Lifestyle: branding is the association of personalty rather than the product because people tend to purchase products that match their own self-image
• Who will we be?: due to the anonymity of the internet, we are more in control over our public image than ever before and data mining allows corporations to create products designed to meet the needs that we reveal through our personal information 

2) List three brands you are happy to be associated with and explain how they reflect your sense of identity. 

• Twitter: I spend a majority of my time on Twitter because it's the only social media platform that I genuinely like and I have found a lot of online friends on Twitter and this reflects my sense of identity because my friends are a big part of who I am 
• Disney/Marvel: Since I was young, I would watch all of the Disney and Marvel movies and this reflects my identity because it was what I was exposed to when I was young so those movies have shaped who I am and now they are introducing a more diverse range of characters which makes me more happy to be associated with them because they are trying to represent minority groups 
• Netflix: I have watched a lot of the shows and movies that Netflix has to offer so they have shaped the way I think about things and they are also trying to increase their diversity which makes me happy to associate with them 

3) Do you agree with the view that modern media is all about 'style over substance'? What does this expression mean?

This expression means that society is becoming shallow and places emphasis on appearance instead of their expression of speech. I strongly agree that modern media emphasises this because the digital age has allowed people go gain fame and publicity purely based on their looks- someone may have problematic things to say but because they are seen as attractive, people tend to overlook it because they are more focused on physical beauty and style 

4) Explain Baudrillard's theory of 'media saturation' in one paragraph. You may need to research it online to find out more.

Baudrillard's theory of 'media saturation' argues that media images dominate and distort the way we see the world (which is known as hyper-reality) and makes it difficult to distinguish between media images and real life. Hyper-reality is the view of the world that has been constructed and defined by the mass media which may have no real basis in the real world. He introduced the term 'simulacra' which is the suggestion that 'pretend' images or reproductions in computer games and other media appear to represent reality when in fact they have no basis in reality- Disneyland was given as an example of simulacra because it is a world that is full of cartoon characters and has been manufactured as if it's real when it actually has no basis in reality

5) Is your presence on social media an accurate reflection of who you are? Have you ever added or removed a picture from a social media site purely because of what it says about the type of person you are?

My presence on social media is not an accurate representation of who I am because I don't have any posts on my Instagram pages or Facebook and on Twitter I share tweets that are not about me (they're usually tweets about TV shows or movies I'm watching or about celebrities). Whenever I post something on Instagram, I tend to take it down within a few days because I don't see it as an accurate representation of my identity because I don't think that my identity can be summarised in one post 

6) What is your opinion on 'data mining'? Are you happy for companies to sell you products based on your social media presence and online search terms? Is this an invasion of privacy?

I do believe that data mining is an invasion of privacy because the process of using somebodies personal information may be unethical but I also find it useful at times because you get personalised products recommended to you based on your interests and what you do on social media. Without data mining, people would get recommended products that they have no interest in and products won't reach their target market 

Media Magazine cartoon

Now read the cartoon in MM62 (p36) that summarises David Gauntlett’s theories of identity. Write five simple bullet points summarising what you have learned from the cartoon about Gauntlett's theories of identity.

• Gauntlett describes his theory as "self-initiated everyday creativity, and cultures of making and exchanging" as well as promoting the view that audiences use the media to help construct their own identities 
• He suggests that the mass media offers a more diverse range of representation than ever before which enables sophisticated modern audiences to "pick and mix" and actively and consciously construct their own identity 
• He used 'Ugly Betty' as evidence that media texts can "move and inspire viewers" as well as exploring Mulvey's theory of 'the male gaze' and Gidden's theory of structuration as they are influential theories about identity 
• Gauntlett suggests that "identity is today seen as more fluid and transformable than ever before" and also further argues that "altering ideas and images have created some space for greater diversity of identities" 
• He also draws attention to generational differences and suggests that "attitudes established in the young will be carried into later life" and also suggests that masculinity is not in crisis 

Representation & Identity: Factsheet blog task

Media Factsheet #72 on Collective Identity. Read the whole of Factsheet and answer the following questions to complete our introductory work on collective identity:

1) What is collective identity? Write your own definition in as close to 50 words as possible.

A 'collective' identity is an identity primarily based around a collection of individuals who share a set of traditions, values and a similar understanding of the world that surrounds them. The media also represents a sense of identity influenced by many factors (including target audience's expectations)

2) Complete the task on the factsheet (page 1) - write a list of as many things as you can think of that represent Britain. What do they have in common? Have you represented the whole of Britain or just one aspect/viewpoint?

• Household items: kettle 
• Locations: the London Eye, Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace, the Tower of London
• Food: tea, fish and chips, marmite, full English breakfast
• Sports: rugby, cricket, football, badminton, tennis 
• Transport: the London underground, big red buses 
• Celebrities: Daniel Radcliffe, the Queen, Emma Watson, Adele

These representations are based on the assumptions of what people (who usually don't actually live in Britain) think about when they think of Britain but as somebody who lives in Britain, I am aware that not all of these representations are accurate for the whole of Britain but they are only representative of London (which is the most famous city in Britain) 

3) How does James May's Top Toys offer a nostalgic representation of Britain?

The programme explores aspects of British history- the history of the race track, the history of Scalextric and other wider British issues. This type of programme attracts an older demographic which we can assume through the choice of toys that James May examines (Airfix, Meccano, Plasticine, Lego, Scalextric and Hornby). By targeting an older audience, nostalgia/feelings of longing may be presented to an audience who had similar toys in their youth and allows them to reminisce 

4) How has new technology changed collective identity?

New technology has given people the opportunity to actively engage with content of the culture around them and allow them to access resources to produce their own cultural content- this means that video hosting websites such as Youtube allow traditional passive audiences to express and produce their own content. This encourages participation and Jenkins calls this new collective identity an 'interpretive community' and labels fans as 'cultural producers' who are actively using social media to create new forms of identity 

5) What phrase does David Gauntlett (2008) use to describe this new focus on identity? 

• ‘Make and Connect Agenda’: this is an attempt to rethink audience studies in the context of media users as producers as well as consumers of media material 
• Gauntlett argues that there is a shift from a ‘sit-back-and-be-told culture’ to a ‘making-and-doing culture’: harnessing creativity on the internet and other everyday creative activities will play a role in changing how a collective identity is created 

6) How does the Shaun of the Dead Facebook group provide an example of Henry Jenkins' theory of interpretive communities online?

A fan created this group in support of the fact that he learned a new word from the movie and other fans around the world also shared the experience of learning that new word so that- the fact that fans around the world supported this identity that was created through this shared experience means that this collective identity has no national barriers to the understanding of the cultural identity created. The creation of this group conforms to the view of Henry Jenkins that "fan genres grew out of openings or excesses within the text that were built on and stretched, and that it was not as if fans and texts were autonomous from each another; fans created their own, new texts, but elements within the originating text defined, to some degree, what they could do" 

Feminist theory: Blog Tasks :)

Media Magazine reading - two articles on feminism and theory

Read Playing With The Past: Post-feminism and the Media (MM40, page 64 - our Media Magazine archive is here).

1) What examples are provided from the two texts of the 'male gaze' (Mulvey)?

• Beyonce: though she declares herself as an independent woman, she objectifies herself in front of the camera in order to appeal to the 'male gaze'
• Pan Am: a period drama about pilots that was criticised for the stewardesses using their looks to their advantage which allows the audience to focus on their bodies and suggest that the way they are perceived is the most important thing for women 

2) Do texts such as these show there is no longer a need for feminism or are they simply sexism in a different form?

Personally, I believe that shows such as these portray sexism in different ways that may be more subtle than the common stereotypes and perhaps these nonchalant portrayals of sexism are due to subconscious ideologies that have been embedded into audiences from the media. These shows have failed to represent the idea of post-feminism as they have still portrayed ideas of sexism which suggests that there is still internalised stereotypes and ideologies within the media and media creators 

3) Choose three words/phrases from the glossary of the article and write their definitions on your blog.

• Patriarchy: an ideology that places men in a dominant position over women 
• Feminism: a movement aimed at defining, establishing, and defending women's rights and equality to men 
• Nostalgia: a sentimental longing for the past, often only remembering the positives of a time 

Now read The Theory Drop: Gender Performativity (MM69, page 25) and answer the following questions.

1) How does the writer suggest gender performativity is established from a young age?

Clothing and difference in words put on clothing establishes gender performativity from a young age because shops such as Mothercare and Primark tend to sell clothing for girls that teach them to be passive, caring and responsible so that they can please others whereas boys are encouraged to do what they want because it is seen as cute and attractive

2) What does the phrase 'non-binary' refer to and how does it link to Butler's theory?

'Non-binary' refers to someone who doesn't define themselves exclusively as either male nor female so they tend to use and prefer gender neutral pronouns or neopronouns when being referred to. This links to Butler's theory that gender is a performance because it supports the idea that gender is culturally and socially constructed- people who identify as non-binary don't adhere to social norms that have been enforced by society 

3) How and why does the media help reinforce gender stereotypes? The writer provides several examples in the final section of the article.

The media presents certain roles in one way in order to make the opposing side look better- for example, presenting females as inferior to make males look superior compared to them. However, it can also be said that the media reinforced stereotypes so that it is easier for audiences to understand certain characters, subjects and storylines as they present ideologies that we have already embedded in our minds 

Music video analysis

Beyonce music video

1) How might this video contribute to Butler’s idea that gender roles are a ‘performance’?

Butler suggested that gender roles are a performance because they are patterns of repeated acts of acting or dressing a certain way. This links to this music video because throughout the video, Beyonce is wearing minimal clothing which emphasises Mulvey's theory of 'the male gaze' and women should dress in a specific way. She is also acting helpless when she is attempting to fix the car at the start of the music video which emphasises the idea that women can't do tasks that require physical labour (like fixing cars) and instead they should cook and clean (which she is seen doing throughout the whole music video)

2) What might van Zoonen suggest regarding the representation of women in this video?

Van Zoonen suggests that women are seen as a 'spectacle' for men- in this music video, Beyonce is heavily made up whilst wearing limited clothing. There seems to be closeups on parts of the body that are commonly sexualised (in this music video there were closeups on her face, breasts, and butt) or there tended to be long shots of her body to "show off" her body and allow her to present herself as a 'spectacle' for the man she is singing to in the song. She also reinforces the idea of western beauty ideals and she has done this by presenting herself as young, slim, tall, having blonde hair- although she isn't white, she seems to be altering her appearance in order to conform to the societal standards of beauty 

3) What are YOUR views on this debate – does Beyonce empower women or reinforce the traditional ‘male gaze’ and oppression of women? 

Typically, Beyonce's brand is essentially her empowering women and encouraging women's independence but there are a few songs that are exceptions to this general theme in her music. I believe it is important to have music like this to show that women are not always strong and have it all together- despite the obvious objectification of herself in this video, it is clear that she had a moment of weakness and is singing for a man that loved her to come back to her instead of the sexist interpretation that she needs a man in her life. Perhaps this video isn't sexist because there are also songs written and sung by men begging women to come back and love them too 

Will Jay's music video

1) How does the video suggest representations of masculinity have changed in recent years?

Masculinity has clearly changed over the years because, as presented in this music video, men are no longer expected to be strong or be good at sports or have no emotion. These stereotypes are recognised by Will Jay through his lyrics and are rejected as the things that make someone a 'real man'

2) What does David Gauntlett suggest about representations of men in the media over the last 20 years?

He suggests that the representations of men in the media over the last 20 years (especially through the explosion in media consumption in the 1980s-1990s) gave audiences the chance to actively construct their own identities and potentially begin to reject from common stereotypes. But he doesn't believe that masculinity is in crisis which leads us to believe that masculinity in the media may be toxic 

3) What is YOUR view on the representation of men and masculinity? Are young men still under pressure from the media to act or behave in a certain way?

I believe that toxic masculinity is decreasing due to the amount of diverse representation of men in the media- for example: single dads, gay men, feminine men, etc. This means that the media and society is beginning to actively challenge stereotypes and reject them. However, there are still a lot of men with fixed mindsets so they may pass on their beliefs to their children which might make it hard to reverse the ideas put into their heads from a young age. There also may be pressure from the media for young men to act in certain ways because there isn't enough representation for them yet so they still feel the need to be confined to what society deems as 'normal' and gives them the lack of freedom to express themselves however they wish to 

Introduction to Feminism: Blog Tasks :)

Everyday Sexism

Watch the Everyday Sexism TED talk from Laura Bates and answer the following questions:

1) Why did Laura Bates start the Everyday Sexism project?

She started this project in order to raise awareness for people who have been sexually assaulted in some way but have been too scared to speak up as well as talk about their experiences and let other women know that they are not alone. Laura Bates found that these incidents are actually extremely common but not many people spoke up about it and this site provided them with a place to share their experiences without judgement

2) How does the Everyday Sexism project link to the concept of post-feminism? Is feminism still required in western societies?

This project links to post-feminism because it gives women the opportunity to talk about their experiences without men 'silencing' them (when it is likely that women were silenced when they tried to talk about issues like this before the digital age). The digital age has helped feminism progress a lot and this is because it gives women a platform to express their feelings on this subject and find comfort in the fact that they aren't alone. Although this is progress in helping women speak about their experiences, the fact that incidents like the ones Laura Bates was speaking about are still occurring shows that there is still plenty of progress to be made when it comes to feminism in Western societies 

3) Why was new technology essential to the success of the Everyday Sexism project?

Because it gives people all over the world the opportunity to talk about their experiences- in her TED talk, Laura Bates talks about how she had people from all over the world sharing what happened to them and perhaps this can raise awareness in different countries about what happens to women all over the world. Before technology, women didn't have a way of sharing their stories so the new technology has helped this because people can share their stories to people from different countries just by using technology 

4) Will there be a point in the future when the Everyday Sexism project is not required? What is YOUR view on the future of feminism?

I believe that feminism has progressed a lot since the Suffragette movement but it will be extremely hard to entirely overcome sexism due to people's existing opinions but we are able to educate young people as they are growing and educate them about what has happened to women in the past and what can be done to prevent or reduce it so that women don't have to experience sexism as extreme as before again. The Everyday Sexism project may not be as necessary as it currently is but it should still be around for women to share their experiences on a site that won't judge and gives them the freedom to talk about their experiences 

Media Magazine: The fourth wave?

Read the article: The Fourth Wave? Feminism in the Digital Age in MM55 (p64) 

1) Summarise the questions in the first two sub-headings: What is networked feminism? Why is it a problem?

The fourth wave of feminism is known as networked feminism as it aims to tackle social inequalities in modern technology. Thousands of campaigns, blogs, and hashtags have been used as a way to advocate for feminism and some social media sites (especially Twitter) are well known for their representation for modern feminism. In 2015, feminists still had to deal with misconceptions and prejudice- but in the eyes of the law, women should be equal to men so many people in 2015 believed that women had achieved what they had been fighting for nut many high-profile women strongly disagreed. This shows that the essence of feminism is still misunderstood so the freedom on the internet had blurred the true intention behind feminism 

2) What are the four waves of feminism? Do you agree that we are in a fourth wave of ‘networked feminism’? 

• First wave: late 19th century-early 20th century --> the main focus was on the women's right to vote (suffrage)
• Second wave: 1960s --> campaigning for the growth of equal rights and leading to the Equal Pay Act of 1970 as well as other laws (such as reproductive rights)
• Third wave: (also referred to as post-feminism) late 1990s --> the empowerment and reclaiming of femininity
• Fourth wave: (referred to as networked feminism) present day --> aims to tackle social inequality due to modern technology 

I do agree that we are in a fourth wave of 'networked feminism' because the rapid growth of technology has given many people the chance to voice their opinions- although this can be positive because of women sharing their experiences and raising awareness for gender inequalities, it can also be negative because people have large platforms in which they can share sexist and misogynistic opinions which proves that gender inequalities still exist and feminism needs to continue progressing 

3) Focus on the examples in the article. Write a short summary of EACH of the following: Everyday Sexism, HeForShe, FCKH8 campaign, This Girl Can.

• Everyday Sexism: this is a website started by Laura Bates in 2012 in order for people to share experiences of sexism in a safe place because talking about sexual harassment can be very hard to talk about to people in person- she received positive feedback and ended up getting over 50,000 entries 
• HeForShe: this campaign is a global movement that was set up by Emma Watson and focuses on male support for gender equality because she believes that feminism isn't about supporting the matriarchy, but just wanting solidarity. However, this campaign has been criticised because it makes feminism reliant on men which is what they are trying to move away from 
• FCKH8 Campaign: this is a digital campaign that focuses on the modern representation of girls and the huge social inequalities that they are faced with as they grown up- this is a for-profit company so their videos were attempting to sell t-shirts so there has been backlash for this campaign because it was suggested that they were exploiting feminism 
• This Girl Can: this is a fitness campaign that doesn't shame or exclude women- they share photos, videos, and quotes of women without the sexual exploitation that usually coincides with other adverts of this nature. This campaign is used as a technique to ensure women aren't body shamed but this has been too heavily criticised by feminist activists 

4) What is your opinion with regards to feminism and new/digital media? Do you agree with the concept of a 'fourth wave' of feminism post-2010 or are recent developments like the Everyday Sexism project merely an extension of the third wave of feminism from the 1990s?

I believe that the original intention of feminism is being lost and people began to misunderstand feminism as wanting revenge on men instead of the original intention of just wanting equality for men and women. The media has created a negative view of feminists as they have begun labelling them as "man-haters" so although this was a campaign to promote more equality for women, people have misunderstood and are now portraying feminism in a negative light. Perhaps the media is to blame because it doesn't present feminism in an accurate way and disregards all of the work that women for years have been working for. The concept of fourth wave feminism makes sense to me because the growth of modern technology allows for lots of people to share their opinions and this can be negative as misogynists have large platforms to share their opinions and undo all the progress that feminists have made